EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY
Community Guides
Apply to become a community guide today.
Come join our upcoming Community Guides program!
About Our Center
Located in the Jefferson School City Center, The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center’s mission is to honor and preserve the rich heritage and legacy of the African-American community of Charlottesville-Albemarle, Virginia and to promote a greater appreciation for, and understanding of, the contributions of African Americans and peoples of the Diaspora locally, nationally and globally.
The Center features a permanent historical exhibit, a rotating contemporary art gallery, and a robust calendar of events, all of which combine to highlight Charlottesville’s African American history and culture of the African diaspora.
Reclaiming Public Space: Descendant Youth Visioning for Public Parks
May 31, 10am-1pm
Reclaiming Public Space invites young people (ages 16–25) from Charlottesville’s Black descendant community to share their visions for how public parks can better serve the community. This one-time event offers an opportunity for youth to voice their ideas for transforming public parks into inclusive, accessible, and culturally reflective spaces.
It’s Friday 8:13 pm EST — Sorry, we’re closed. Visit us when we’re open!
Contemporary Gallery
Kori Price: 807
18 January-23 April, 2025
807, a photography exhibition by Charlottesville based artist, Kori Price, explores location as an anchor for memory. Through documentation of both the physical and her imagined metaphysical spaces and items left behind by her grandparents and uncle after their deaths, Price converges reality with an interpretation of the afterlife.
Veronica Jackson: A Constellation of BLACKTIVISTS
10 May – 9 August, 2025
Exhibition opening 10, May | 6-8 pm
The exhibition consist of two bodies of work, Jackson’s BLACKTIVISTS series, which she began in that considers the lives of 12 Black women activists and her Constellation of Blackness that uses the broadside format to articulate words by Audre Lourde and others that speak to the triumph of Black womanist self-accultalization.
Become a Member
Become a Member!
As a JSAAHC Member you’ll receive:
- Free admission to exhibits and events.
- Discounts on workshops, lectures, and programs.
- Invitations to members-only events.
- Discounts in Alumni Room Museum Shop and Café
- And much more.
Spotlight Events & Programs
HONORING OUR HISTORY
Center for Local Knowledge
By appointment Tuesday through Saturday & every third Saturday 10am–12pm
The Center for Local Knowledge promotes the study of Charlottesville and Albemarle County local histories and fosters a deeper understanding of our community’s lived environment.
PRESERVING OUR LEGACY
Exhibitions
Gallery hours: Tuesday - Friday, 1pm–6pm; Saturdays 10am–1pm
Our permanent and contemporary exhibitions together suggest the continuum between our past and our present.
Help us plan for the future by taking our survey.
Help share authentic history by becoming a guide.
Covid Policy: Due to limited space in exhibition galleries and our desire to keep us all safe, visitors must now obtain a general admission ticket to visit. Groups are limited to no more than eight people. Groups must obtain a timed group ticket.
Hours:
Business hours 10 am -6pm;Exhibtion hours 1pm-6pm; Museum Shop and Cafe hours 9am-1pm
Location
233 4th St NW, Charlottesville, VA 22903
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Upcoming Events
Screenings
MAUPINTOWN FILM FESTIVAL: BOLD & BEAUTIFUL
Time: Friday, September 5, 2025September 5, 2025 - 6:00 PM - September 7, 2025 - 8:00 PM /
Join us for the 12th annual Maupintown Film Festival﹣Bold and Beautiful. Celebrate Black film and filmmakers in the historic Jefferson School as we celebrate the Bold Resistance and Enduring Beauty of Black History and Culture. TICKETS ON SALE SOON
Culture & Heritage
Juneteenth 2025
Time: Saturday, June 14, 20259:00 AM - 3:00 PM / Jefferson School City Center Lawn
Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day, Juneteenth commemorates the day that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were finally emancipated. This year’s festivities occur on June 14, from 9-3 pm.
Special Event
Book Launch for Deborah Baker’s CHARLOTTESVILLE: AN AMERICAN STORY
Time: Tuesday, June 3, 20256:00 PM - 8:00 PM / Jefferson School African American Heritage Center
Join Deborah Baker for the launch of her new book Charlottesville: An American Story on June 3, 2025 at 6:00 pm ET in the auditorium of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. The program will include a brief reading followed by a conversation with Gayle Jessup White and audience Q&A. There will be a […]
Class, Culture & Heritage
Little Luminaries Story Time
Time: Saturday, May 31, 202510:30 AM - 11:00 AM / JSAAHC
Join us for Little Luminaries Storytime, a joyful morning of stories, songs, and fun for toddlers aged 2-5! Each week, we’ll read books that celebrate and teach about Black history, culture, and uplifting stories featuring African American characters. Perfect for little learners and their caregivers, this engaging program encourages a love of reading while building […]
Hours
Heritage Center
Tuesday – Friday 1.00 pm – 6.00 pm
Saturday 10 am – 1 pm
Closed Monday & Sunday
Jefferson Heritage African American Center © 2020. All Rights Reserved